Kins automatic



(No Model.)

2 SheetsSheet 1. G. P. BULEN.

STATION SWITCH FOR FIRE TELEGRAPHS.

No. 271,597. Patemed Feb. 6, 1883.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet G. PJBULEN. STATION SWITCH FOR FIRETELEGRAPHS.

No. 271,597. Patented Feb. 6,1883.-

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N. PETERS, Plwlb-hlbographen Washington. D. Q

Uivirnn STATES PATENT FFKCE.

GEORGE F. BULEN, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE IVAT- KINSAUTOMATIC SIGNAL TELEGRAPH COMPANY, (LIM ITED,) OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STATlQN-SWITCH FOR FlRE-TELEGRAPHS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,597, dated February6, 1883.

Application filed June 28, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. BULEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStation-Switches and OircuitsforAutomatic Fire-Alarm Telegraphs, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improve- IO ments in apparatus andcircuits pertaining to automatic signaling-telegraphs of the classcommonly employed in fire-alarm and other protective systems. Intelegraphic systems of this description a local line traverses thebuilding to be protected, and normally forms an interposed section ofthe main line. This is arranged to be instantly connected with anormally-open earth-circuit in the event of a fire or of an unauthorizedattempt to enter the building, thereby causing a signaling device to beactuated. In case an accidental connection is established from the localprotective circuit to the earth, or the conductor of the local circuitis interrupted, my invention provides a means whereby the connectionsmay be temporarily interchanged with each other in such a manner thatthe defectivelocal conductor will temporarily subserve the purposes ofthe norm al earth-circuit, and the protective capac- 0 ity of the mainand local circuits still be maintained.

My invention consists in an organization of circuits andcircuit-changers where by the local line within the building may benormally in- 5 cluded in the circuit of the main line, but when requireda corresponding and normally-disconnected signaling-circuit, by means ofwhich an earth-connection is made, and an alarm mechanism actuatedWhenever necessary for the 40 protection of the building, may be sointerchanged with the local line that in the event of the latterbeinginterrupted, or of a connection being formed from any point thereofto the earth-as, for example, by an accidental 5 contact with awater-pipe, gas-tube, or other independently of the local line. Thesignaling-circuit may also at the same time be disconnected from theearth and placed in connection with the main line, forming an incompleteor normally-open branch circuit. Acircuit will be closed to the earththrough this temporary line whenever the protection of the building mayrequire, traversing the defective 7 local wire, and any one or more ofthe circuitclosers interposed between the local and signaling circuits,which are designed to be oper- 6o ated by an unauthorized attempt toeifect an entrance into the building, by the abnormal heat caused by afire, or any agency whatever, which is brought into requisition forprotective purposes. My improved station-switch is designed to beinclosed within a suitable protective case or box, which is placed-insuch a position as to be accessible by an inspector withoutenteringtheprotectedbuilding. Thus, in case a fault or interruptionoccurs within such a building at a time when its interior isinaccessible-as during the night, or on Sundays or holidays-4t will notbe necessary to disconnect the system of circuits within the buildingfrom the main line, thus leaving the 15 premises wholly unprotected, butthe temporary connections will serve the purpose until such time as theinspector can gain access to the place where the fault is located andremove it. So

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure l isa plan view of the stationswitch, showing the circuit-connections intheir normal relation; and Fig. 2, a like view, showing thecircuit-connections as reorganized in the event of an accidentalearthconnection having been made with the local line, or the local linehaving been interrupted.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a telegraphic systememploying a main line, L, which includes, at some convenient point, amain battery-,0, and suitable electrical apparatus, M, for signaling andtesting purposes. The said main line extends through a number ofdifferent stores, houses, &c., the local 5 circuits within one of theseprotected buildings being represented in the figures. One pole of themain battery 0 is permanently connected with the earth, as at G, and theother with the main line L, which, after traversing the severalbuildings to be protected, is made continuous with a return-conductor,L, which may include a second battery, 0, and suitable sign ahngapparatus, M. The circuits within each protected building consist of alocal line, I, which trayerses the exposed portions of the structure,and is normally included in the circuit of the main line L L, togetherwith a normal]y disconnected earth-conductor, k, which traverses thebuilding in proximity to the local circuit hand includes asignaltransmitting mechanism, E, arranged to be operated whenever aconnection is established between the two conductors. This is efl'ectedby means of the Organization about to be described. The two conductors land 7c are normally disconnected from each other, but are providedthroughout the exposed portions of the building with circuit-closersfand f, arranged to form, when actuated, an electrical connectionbetween the two wires, and thus set in motion the signal-transmittingmechanism E, which is included ill the circuit of the earth-conductor itbetween the circuit-closers and the earth, at such times as required forprotective purposes.

The means which I employ for controlling the circuitconnections consistof suitable switches, B and B, mounted upon abase, A, of non-conductingmaterial, and consisting of swinging metallic arms pivoted respectivelyat b and b and electrically connected with the binding-posts 1 and 2, towhich binding-posts the incoming and outgoingsections of the main lineare attached, as hereinafter explained. The free ends of the switch-armsare provided with suitable knobs or handles, b and are arranged in sucha position that they may be turned horizontally from their respectivecontact-plates b and b, and placed in contactwith a commoncontact-plate, C. The contactplates 1) and b are respectively connectedwith the two ends of the conductor 1, lorming the local line whichtraverses the building, ex-

tending through the exposed portions thereof, as circumstances mayrequire. The contactplates 1) and b are also respectively connected withthe terminals of two normally-open pegswitches, D and D, the oppositeterminals o which are in electrical connection with the earth at G,through wires 11 and 12, bindingpost 5, and wire 13. A third switch, C,similar in construction to the switches B and B, is pivoted at 0 andprovided with two contact-plates, c and c, with either of which it maybe placed in connection at pleasure. The contact-post c is electricallyconnected by a wire, 14, with the binding-post 5, and the plate 0 isconnected through a wire, 16, with the common contact-pointU,hereinbetore referred to.

The switch 0 is itself united by a wire, 15, to the binding-post- 6,with'which the signaling-circuit k is likewise connected.

It will be understood'from the foregoing description that the incompletecircuit of the battery 0 is normally through the main line L tobinding-post 1, switch B, wire 7, bindingpost 3, local line 1,binding-post 4, and line L. If, however, any one of the circuit-closersfand f be caused to form a connection between the wires b and b, acircuit will be completed from the main battery 0 through linewire L,biudingpost 1., switch B, wire 7, binding-post 3, and local line I,thence through the circuit-closer for f to line It, andsignaltransmitting mechanism E to binding-post 6, and through wire 15,switch 0, contact-plate c, (with which the switch is normally incontact,) wire 14, binding-post 5, and wire 13, to the earth at G,thence returning to the other pole of the battery through G. If from anyaccidental cause a connection should be established from the wire 1dinect ly to the earthas, for example, at K, Fig. 2-the circuit of thebattery 0 will be completed through that point, thus short-circuitingthe signaling-circuit k and signal-transmitting mechanism E, and-therebyrendering the protective apparatus of no avail. In order to remove thisdisability it is only necessary to move the switches B and B from thecontact-plates b and b to the common contact-plate O, and also theswitch G from the contact-plate c to the contact-plate c, and finally totransfer the pegs d and d from the holes d in which, for convenience,they are ordinarily placed, to the pegholes in D and D, respectively,thus placing both ends of the local line I in direct connection with theearth. The circuit of the main line will then be complete directlythrough the switches B and B by means of the contact-plate C, and thelocal wire I will be entirely disconnected therefrom. Thesignalingcircuit it, however, is connected with the main line throughthe binding-post 6, wire 15,switch 0, wire 16, and contact-plate C,forming a normally-open branch circuit. It, therefore, any

'one of the circuit-closers ff be closed, a circuit will be completedfrom the main liae through the wire Ia and signaling device E to thewire l, and thence to the earth by way of the point K and the conductorrepresented at K.- Should theconnection formed at the point have becomesevered after the switch has been placed in the position represented inFig. 2, an earth-connection will still exist by way of the binding-posts3 and 4, which are respectively connected with the binding-post 5, andhence with the earth, by means of the wires? and 9, pegswitch D, andwire 11, and by wiresSand 10, peg-switch D, and wire 12. By thusenlploying two independent earth-cormeetionsone at each end of the localline l-a circuit may be completed in eitherdirection from any point, K,in case the line should accidentally become broken at that point, and asignal will be given by the transmitter E, which will be received at thecentral station when any one of the circuit-closers upon either side ofthe break is closed.

It is designed to maintain the temporary organization ot'connectiousshown in Fig. 2 only IIS for such a length of time as may be necessaryin order to discover and repair the accidental fault in the local line,after Which the switches are again placed in the .normal position, asshown in Fig. 1,

For convenience in testing the main and local circuits, I provide smallmetallic hooks n, n, W, and n connected respectively with the switches Dand D and the binding-posts 3 and 4:. By means of these hooks anyrequired receiving and transmitting instruments are temporarilyconnected with the respective lines. v

Iclaim as my invention- 1. The combination, substantially ashereinbet'ore set forth, of the main line, the local line normallyinterposed in the circuit of the main line, a normally-openearth-circuit, in which is included a signal-transmitting mechanism,circuit-closers for connecting said local line with the earth-circuit,means, substantially such as described, for disconnecting the localcircuit from the main line and closing the main-line circuitindependently of the local circuit, and means for disconnecting thesignaling-circuitfrom the earth and connecting it to the main line.

2. In an automatic signal telegraph system,

. the COU'lbllliltlOll, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, ot'amain line, a local conductor normally interposed in the circuit ofthemain line, a normally-open earth-circuit, a signal-transof saidswitches, connected respectively with the terminals of a local line, anormally-disconnected earth-conductor extending from each of saidcontact-plates, a conductor including a signal-transmitting apparatus, a

switch connected therewith, a contact-plate for said switch, connectedto the earth, and a I common contact-plate, with which each of saidswitches may be placed in electrical connection when removed from theirspecial contactplates.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subsc ibed my name this 26th dayofJune, A. D. 1882. v

GEORGE F. BULEN.

Witnesses:

FRANK L. PoPE, DANIEL W. EDGEOOMB.

